Rating: 
Summary: Romance and Suspense
Review: In a time when racism was part of everyday life, David Guterson tells a beautiful story about a love that defies the restrictions of prejudice. Set in San Piedro, a controversial love develops between a young white boy and a Japanese girl. Beginning when they were ten years old, the two met in the hollowed out trunk of a cedar tree. As they grew up, their love grew for each other, but met conflicts of society. This book is great for the hopeless romantic who reads in anxious hope that the two lovers will run away together. The book also appeals to the CSI-watching thrill seekers. A local fisherman was found caught in his fishing net, dead. The town investigates what they think might be a homicide. A Japanese man is convicted of the murder and in the courtroom, prejudices towards the Japanese are especially apparent. As the characters in the book try to put the pieces together to discover the truth, so does the reader.
Snow Falling on Cedars is a timeless story of suspense and romance. Guterson uses vivid imagery and many descriptions of the landscape to allow the reader to better relate to the book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a great story, no matter your age.
Rating: 
Summary: Snow falling on cedars
Review: This novel is set on San Pedro Island off the coast of Washington in the 1950's. Kabuo Miyhamoto, a member of the island's Japanese-American community, is on trial for the murder of Carl Heine, a fellow fisherman. Heine's boat was found drifting on morning, with his body caught up in a net. While the death at first seemed accidental, bits of incriminating evidence accumulate that seem to implicate Miyamoto. On one level, this suspenseful and beautifully written novel can be read as a well written mystery. On another level, it presents an evocation of character and prejudice in a small island community in the 1950's. In her testimony, Etta Heine, the dead man's mother, clearly expresses her hatred and distrust of all Japanese; including Kabuo, who had been her son's childhood friend. The author also recreates the wartime hysteria that led to Japanese-Americans being sent to concentration camps. In fact, in pre-war Washington state, Japanese people who were not American citizens were not even permitted to own property. As the trial proceeds, the story of Carl, Kabuo, and what happened that night little by little, takes shape, as does the tale of Ishmail Chambers, the local newspaper reporter, who had a "love affair" with Kabuo's wife when they were both teenagers, just before the Japanese families were sent away in 1942. it is clear, however, that this is more than a story of one man's guilt or innocence; it is a story of a community's fear and prejudice against the Japanese-Americans in its midst.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating and real
Review: World War II sets the stage for this compelling and different tale. It's the 1950s, in Washington state, and the tensions between the Japanese and Americans is still thick in the air. What's so amazing about this book is not the premise (which alone would make it worth reading), but rather its combination of genres. The only two other books that come to mind--books that combine genres so successfully--are Capote's IN COLD BLOOD, and McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD. Capote's book, at the time it was written, was a combination of mystery, fiction, fact, and superb gray area thrown in for good measure. The result was a hybrid novel. In McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, he combines styles and voices effectively. This, along with the hybridization of genres (mystery, fiction, history, literary,humor) makes it one of the most unique books out there, something akin to SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS. And in Guterson's book, a similar effect is achieved. It's part mystery, part history, part romance, and certainly great literature. Then there is the racism theme (again, similar to McCrae, Harper Lee's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, or even the more recent SECRET LIFE OF BEES) which never really goes out of style. But the most intriguing aspect of SNOW is that of character development and its relation to the plot. Rarely has an author so deftly woven the fabric of people, place, and history so well together. This, accompanied by the fact that not a lot of novels are set in this area of the country--the Pacific Northwest--makes it an interesting reall all-round. This is one book you'll want to read more than once--it's not only entertaining, but a pleasure to curl up with. Do yourself a favor and buy it. And the movie ain't half bad either . . . Also recommended: McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD
Rating:
Summary: Excellent novel
Review: "Snow falling on Ceidars" was my first novel by David Guterson. As always when I read a book by (for me) an unknown author I am a little extra excited. Gutersons' "Snow falling on Ceidars" did not disappoint me. The story opens in a courtroom. Kabuo Miyamoto, a Japanese-American, has been arrested and is on trial for the murder of a local San Piedro fisherman. The core story follows the trial of Miyamoto, but the book brings in so much more. We get an interracial love story, a war story, and an unsolved mystery. All this is gradually and slowly unwrapped as the story about the people of San Piedro Island is told. Guterson has purposely chosen flashback as a way to tell the story to the different characters. An experiment that works quite well! History has always fascinated me, and the topic on how the Japanese Americans was treated during World War II was especially interesting. I found the background information very helpful in understanding why the characters interacted with each other the way they did. In summary this is a well-written novel, with realistic, flawed, sympathetic characters easy to identify with. At times very hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Whodunnit with a Twist of Forbidden Love
Review: Like most books I read, this one was recommended by a friend. I had no idea what it was about and knew nothing about David Guterson. In addition, had just finished reading the incredible "Memoirs of a Geisha"and knew that the next book I read would have a hard time keeping my attention. That being the case, I wasn't all that excited when I started with Cedars. The first 50 or so pages are on the dry side, but set the stage for the trial. To be honest, I almost gave up on the book, but persevered and was glad that things really picked up shortly after that. STYLE: Guterson has a fairly elegant writing style and does a good job weaving the flashbacks into and out of the main storyline. It's fair to say that about 1/2 of the book is flashback and it Guterson seamlessly leads the reader in and out of the past with little effort. FLOW: As I mentioned earlier, the book begins with the trial and gives us a taste of things to come. As I progressed further into the book, I gained some real insights into Ishmael Chambers' emotional and moral dilemmas. Guterson also makes Hatsue a real tough nut to crack, all the way til the end, which makes the book that much more suspenseful. Dialog is a bit heavy at times, and is a bit confusing in the first couple of chapters as new characters are introduced during the trial. Personally, I found the deluge bordering on overwhelming and liked how they were less invovled in the the recent movie. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: Boy, there is character development galore here. We see the main characters grow up from kids to adults and from youthful innocence to mature decision-makers. The trying circumstances of the plot would put extraordinary strains on regular people, and it takes a tremendous step in terms of maturity to overcome their tabooness of forbidden love(!) I breathed a sigh of "wow, he actually did it" when Ishmael finally learns to accept reality. Hatsue -- I think she still has unresolved issues, but that's a topic for another discussion. OVERALL: It took a while to get going, but I did enjoy Cedars. Not as much as "Memoirs of a Geisha," but it's still a solid effort in its own right. If you're thinking about watching the movie, be prepared to lower your expectations as it doesn't do justice to Guterson's prose.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ
Review: David Guterson's Snow Falling On Cedars has established itself gracefully as my second favorite book of the semester -- second, naturally, to Frazier's Cold Mountain. The novel is a first class amalgamation of history, mystery (often in the form of courtroom drama), romance, and action which is glued together by high-caliber prose. At first appearing to be a simple murder mystery, Snow Falling On Cedars gradually reveals a plot intricately and magically woven by a master. In post-war San Piedro island, a quaint fishing community located on Puget Sound, a white fisherman is murdered mysteriously and a Japanese American is put on trial for his death. Guterson combines the elements of small-town communal closeness (or, less euphemistically, small-town gossip), post-war shell-shock and taboo, intergenerational split, and heated romantic entanglement to create a story which will keep readers engaged for hours on end. The character development and realism of David Guterson is also excellent. Worthy of mention is his depiction of the cultural identity crisis which Japanese first-generation teenagers were forced to confront at the time. The cultural barrier is intensified by Japanese-American hostility during World War II and the shameful relocation and segregation of America's Japanese citizens which resulted. If you enjoy novels, read Snow Falling On Cedars -- any questions?
Rating:
Summary: Relevant even today
Review: With all that is going on in the world, somehow SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS is extremely relevant. Thankfully we learned something about the Japanese interrment during WWII and how not to treat people. But in some ways we still find ourselves wrestling with the same old demons. But what is truly amazing about this story is Guterson's handling of the matieral--material that might turn too emotional or dangerous in many other author's hands. While I'm normally one to stick to a tried and true bestseller like "Da Vini Code" or "Bark of the Dogwood," I decided to give this book a chance. That, plus the fact that I didn't see the movie, made me want something slightly off the beaten path. What I found was an excellently written novel full of insight and warmth. The settings are just remarkable and Guterson has quite an eye for detail and the ability to translate them.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive
Review: A beautifully written and crafted book. Through the story of a Japanese man on trial for the murder of a fisherman, Guterson brings to life the people of a remote island community, their histories, relations, loves and hatreds. In the process, he forces the reader to think about what defines humanity. The first time I started reading this I didn't get past the first several pages. Several years later, I tried again and was very glad I pressed on. By the time I was a third of the way through, I was hooked and impressed.
Rating: 
Summary: too slow paced
Review: Tried this one because I like John Grisham, Robert Goddard, etc. This books starts off real well, but is too slow paced overall. I stopped reading it after about 100 pages in a passage with an endless description of the romance between 2 teenagers... Thought this book was better...
Rating:
Summary: "The trick was to live here without hating yourself..."
Review: Many years passed between my viewing the film version of Snow Falling on Cedars and finally reading the book one morning when I was at a friend's house, awake many hours before she was. I was impressed by the stunning, detailed descriptions of landscapes, people (physically and mentally), and I appreciated the detailed way the story unfolded. Comparing the book to the film (which is always a bad idea), I can say that I enjoyed both. The book offers eloquent descriptions of characters, so you understand them with greater depth. Particularly important are the elegant portrayals of Kabuo, Hatsue, and Ishmael, and the narrative relies on flashback sequences to convey the characters' relationships to each other and to reveal the history of why each character is how he or she is. In the film, for example, Ishmael's bitterness is not fully developed, and Kabuo's character is not fleshed out well either. It was, for example, impossible for the movie to convey Kabuo's feelings as expressed in the book, e.g. "He had meant to project to the jurors his innocence, he's wanted them to see that his spirit was haunted," and, "It had seemed to Kabuo that his detachment from this world was somehow self-explanatory." Although the manner in which both Kabuo and Ishmael had been affected by the war was touched on in the film, the book delved deeply into these matters. The book helps bring the scenery and the people to life far more than the movie "incarnation" possibly could. That much is to be expected.
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